FP Rainforest high chair

[flashy09]

Is it worth the extra money to have the toy that comes with it?

[123LuckyMom]

The toy is cool, but you certainly don't need it to use the high chair! You have to take it off to use the tray for food anyway. If you got a deal on the high chair, don't let the lack of toys bother you!

[melwe]

We use the toy as a floor toy mostly. It will "lock" into the tray, so sometimes I set it in there while I am getting things ready and do not have to worry it will be thrown onto the floor. However, it's definitely not necessary.

[flashy09]

Thanks. Is there anything better about it than the EZ clean or healthy care FP chairs (besides toy)?

[123LuckyMom]

I don't know anything about those other two, though we have the healthy care booster, which is a great travel high chair. IMO the most important thing for a high chair is that it be easy to clean and easy to get your child in and out. The ability to adjust heights is nice, too. The rest is not that important.

[twowhat?]

We had these high chairs.

On the toy: not worth it. We wouldn't have missed it if it were gone. Sure, they got some play...but so did all of their other toys that had lights and moving parts. Not worth it IMO to spend the extra money on it.

On the high chair itself: hated it. Sold them and got a couple of IKEA high chairs and was so much happier. I could've also replaced them with a couple of the healthy care boosters and been just as happy. I did NOT feel the big cushy high chair love. They were a major PITA to clean - food stuck all in the crevices, etc. I needed something wipe-down clean, not something that needed a cover thrown in the wash and then dried and the frame hosed off each time it was used - I mean food got stuck EVERYWHERE - in the overlapping parts of the height adjustable legs, etc. Everywhere! Even with using a Bjorn bib!!! Ugh my BP is going up just thinking about the impracticality of the beast! And sure, the FABRIC is wipe-down-able but the CREVICES...wherever there is a stitch or a fold...food sticks.

The only reason I'd ever get a full-sized high chair like that is if I absolutely needed the recline and perhaps had a bad back or something and needed something to put baby in that was up higher. And there are other ways to recline a baby who is holding a bottle (boppy, bouncer) so I don't even know that it's worth it then. IMO a full-sized/full-featured high chair like the FP healthy care is just a flat-out waste of money. Baby should be mostly sitting well to start solids anyway and in that case the FP healthy care booster or IKEA high chair works perfectly.

That's all just my opinion, anyway:) I don't mean to offend anyone who found it to be useful. But for us, they just were SO much more trouble than they were worth. I grumbled the entire time (and it took a while!) I was cleaning it to make it presentable enough for a CL sale and I even felt guilty about selling them to some unsuspecting expectant parents of twins....I just kept thinking "they're gonna hate these when they find out how much time they take to clean...and with twins...".

[SweetPotato]

I think it probably depends some on your child, age, use, etc. Our ds is only 3 months old, but I wanted to be able to have a place for him to sit up high and be "with" me while I cook & clean in the kitchen (and also needed easy wheeling to our dining room). So for us, we needed the recline (he doesn't take a bottle, but is simply too young still to sit very upright as in other chairs), and I figured if the toy buys me an extra 5 -10 minutes to work on dinner, then even just over a few months it's worth the cost to me (I really like that it locks into the tray- and we don't have many toys that light up and sing, so it's especially exciting when saved for only dinner prep time). I will say that I almost bought the ezclean instead because those smooth straps look really great for clean up. Went with this because some reviews made it sound like chunky babes could outgrow the ezclean earlier, and we grow big babies :)

[flashy09]

I am now actually looking into the Boon high chairs. They look easy to clean and, to be honest, I am getting sick of the Fisher Price designs. In my living we have the Rainforest bouncer, the Rainforest Jumperoo, and a (non FP, but still bright) activity mat. I am not sure I can look at any more parrots or monkeys or clashing colors. That sounds so mean and I am not the kind of mom that needs a spotless house or the "no kids" look and she has tons of flashing, singing, light up toys, but just one baby item that looks a little more sophisticated would be nice especially since the high chair stage lasts so long!

[TwinFoxes]

We had those chairs. They were fine. But I'm sure there are better ones out there, and I wouldn't say I recommend them. Honestly, the Ikea ones are probably just as good. We ended up getting boosters, which are so much better.

[AnnieW625]

We have a classic wooden high chair, and a Tripp Trapp. The Tripp Trapp is awesome for babies 2+, but it was a complete diaster mess wise before that because DD2 was just soo messy when eating. were to do it again I would get the Svan chair, which is a nice looking wooden high chair with a plastic tray. If the Boon chair had been out in 2006 when I was looking at baby stuff for DD1 then I probably would have taken a serious look at it, but since it wasn't and I wasn't big fan of the plastic chairs on the market we got a wooden one.

Svan chair (http://www.svan.com/svan-high-chair.php)